FF 16: Death Or Something Like It
by liaSonlovR
Summary: A Thrill to read! Liason 1:1


I promise you won't be sorry when you read this. I consider this a slight thrill to read, because that's how I felt when I was writing it. This was the most suspenseful thing I have ever written, and I'm proud of a fic like this. I hope you like it as much as I do!

Things to know: This is completely AU. And I mean _completely_. Forget everything you know about Jason and Elizabeth's history. Whatever that is written has actually happened; there are no fantasies that seem real but aren't.

Ok, that's it. Thank you for reading; I hope you enjoy. As always, please leave some feedback.

**FF #16: Death – Or Something Like It**

**Prompt: **Cold Feet

Her thin finger lightly traced the round shape of his face in the old, wrinkled with age photo in the matching old frame that adorned it. However, the memory was nothing like the condition the picture was in. It was still vivid in her mind, as clear as the sky outside…and as painful as sticking a knife in her chest.

That was the day that they had gotten married; promised their lives and fidelity to each other, both knowing that they belonged together. The day where all doubts were blown and faded from their minds like the winds that blew the grassland, tilting the long strands in the direction it was pushed in, like a ring that was gently glided on her fourth finger, like fate was taking their joined hands and leading them into the life they were meant to be in, that they were meant to be _happy _in.

They had really thought that was it. That every obstacle in their lives together was passed through and dealt with, and that their chance at happiness was as sure as the glinting ring on her finger.

A grim and bitter smile graced Elizabeth's once bright features, a face that didn't hold any expression but happiness for a certain time – but a _short_ time. Because before she could even tell him not to leave the toothpaste cap on, he was gone, and she was left alone.

Jason.

_Her_ Jason.

The Jason that she had promised to love and cherish and live with for the rest of her life. Have a family, a house, everything they had talked about to the detail. The man that promised a lifetime of happiness and lasting memories until their very last breaths.

Suddenly, her eyes were blurred as an onslaught of tears filled her heartbroken eyes. Her bitterness turned into anger and her finger that was so soft and tender not five seconds ago now was in a death tight grip, the old frame and picture gripped into her stark white hand, her veins in her wrist sticking out as she whipped the photo above her head and swung it like a baseball across the room, hitting the rain-stained window and breaking it, causing the photo to land outside the house among the remnants of the broken glass.

It lay there, the glass of the frame broken and shattered, never going to be the same as it was before.

Just like Elizabeth's heart.

When the window shattered, it felt like her heart was being broken into a million pieces all over again, the pain rushing back to her so quickly and so effectively that it made her head spin, making her see darkness. It wasn't the first time that Elizabeth wanted to be sucked into that darkness and feel a reprieve from all the heartache and emotional pain. She wanted not to feel anything anymore; she wanted to go into that pit of darkness and never get out again, because nothing was worth it anymore. There was no one that she could ever be with, turn to except Jason. He was her everything. Her first true love, her first lover, and her first husband.

And he was going to be her last.

They had come and taken him from her, leaving her all alone with a promise that she would follow his fate soon.

Never in her life had she yearned for a threat such as that to finally be turned to reality. So she could join Jason wherever he was. Hell or heaven or the bottom of the world, nothing mattered more than being with him again.

They had taken him right from their home, in front of her very eyes, shot him twice in the chest, and one bullet per thigh. Precise and simple. Jason had had his fair share of bullets in his life, but with that many bullets in one body in one night? Yeah, they made it pretty clear that they had come for one thing: Jason's life. And they had definitely gotten what they wanted.

She would be next, and it was only a matter of time before they came for her too. It was only natural for it to happen that way. And so she embraced it; it gave her an odd sense of calmness and reassurance knowing that she wouldn't have to deal with this insufferable and unbearable pain much longer. Her destiny was with Jason, and where he went, she went.

But there was one problem with that solution that made her so guilty and ashamed for ever wishing such a thing for herself and her future.

She felt a small tug on the bottom hem of her shirt. Her now dried and red eyes looked down.

"Mommy?"

She shot up straight from the large king-sized bed that she had once shared and made love with Jason, a bead of sweat dripping down her shapely brown eyebrows. It was one of those nights that she heard things. Things that made her think that the time had come. Sometimes they were delusions; at one point, soon after Jason had gone, she was so convinced that they were after them that she had dragged Ellie out of her bed that was in Elizabeth's room (for safety reasons) and had driven three hours until she realized that no one was following.

She was so sure of the fact that they were there that she had done anything and everything to protect herself and Ellie. But the thing was, they _were _there, maybe not physically, but emotionally they shadowed everything that Elizabeth did and everywhere that Elizabeth went. They were there _all_ the time, in her mind, in her dreams, and in her delusions….but the problem was that eventually those delusions would be for real, and the day that she didn't believe herself might be the day that her fate had come to meet her and take her away.

It haunted her day and night, and she would rather be safe than sorry. But tonight, something in her triggered something that she had never felt before. A gut instinct telling her to run, to get Ellie, their ready bags and everything, and just _go_.

They had come tonight…and this was no longer a delusion.

It was a nightmare.

She slid the crème colored satin sheets off of her sweaty body and moved her legs to the floor, her feet dangling off the bed, not yet reaching the floor. She slowly put her feet on the floor and stood up, putting her shoes on and getting their things before waking Ellie. She wanted her to enjoy whatever dream she was having for as long as possible before she would have to face the life of living on the run. It was a life that Elizabeth didn't think she would ever give her child, but then again, Elizabeth didn't ever think that Jason would be gone and dead, leaving her to care for their child.

As soon as things were set, she walked over to Ellie and bent her head down a little, reaching out to tuck in a stray wild curl like her mother's behind her small little ear. Ellie's small chest gently expanded up and down with every breath she took, and a soft, content expression was laid upon her face like snowflakes being gently lain on the ground. Elizabeth's hand smoothly slipped down Ellie's shoulder, down her arm, and then to her delicate, chubby hand that instinctively curled as Elizabeth lay her hand in hers. Her other hand went to her plump rosy cheek, and rubbed it gently, while whispering, "Ellie. It's time to go. Wake up, honey. Wake up."

The small child shifted in her mini-sized Cinderella bed, slowly being coaxed out of her deep sleep by her mother, and gradually lifted her eyelids heavy with slumber to reveal her father's blue cerulean eyes. This is what made Elizabeth want to live, to look into her daughter's beautiful eyes and remember the days where they were a happy family, where the sun's brightness wouldn't even compare to the light of joy that Ellie brought to Jason and Elizabeth.

Her eyelashes fluttered, and as she slowly woke up and became more alert, Elizabeth put her hands under her arms and slowly lifted and carried her, grabbing their duffel bag filled with all the necessities they would need for their long trip, and hopefully a new life somewhere that would be far away from the danger they were facing now.

Elizabeth picked up the pace and hurriedly ran down the stairs, heading towards the back door that would lead to the black SUV parked outside, ready to go. Softly opening and closing the door without a sound, she padded across the back lawn to the car, opening the door to seat and buckle Ellie. Unlinking Ellie's arms that were wrapped tightly around her neck, she gently lay her daughter against the cushiony seat and put in her seatbelt, tightening the small notch just in case they would have to do some high speed swerving driving.

Looking back to the house, Elizabeth noticed the window that was still broken; she could see the shards of glass glinting off the moonlight into the dark early morning sky. Looking back at Ellie who had lain her head against the seat belt strap and had drifted back into sleep, Elizabeth stepped hesitatingly towards the broken window, then took another step, then another, this time with more strength and boldness, until she reached the sparkling glass. She slowly bent down, and gently brushed away the broken pieces of glass against the worn picture. She picked it up as if she was holding a million dollar diamond and looked at it, trying to get the inspiration from the past to go on and make things right for herself and Ellie.

Folding the picture and tucking it into her back pocket, she firmly nodded her head, coming to a resolution that she would fight this until her very last breath, that whatever it came down to, Ellie would be alive and happy. And well, whether Elizabeth would be alive to see that, fate would have to make that decision once again.

This really was for real.

The black Sedan that she had been trying to lose for an hour had finally fallen for her fake turn and this was her chance to get away before they would find them again.

Glancing in the rear view mirror to check on Ellie, she was surprised to find her daughter still sleeping despite the fact that Elizabeth had been driving well over 70 mph. That was a good thing however, because she wasn't awake to hear the number of profanities Elizabeth had said while trying to lose them.

Driving off the road, Elizabeth thanked God for the heavy blanket of snow covering the forest they had arrived at. Sure, it would be cold, but since she wouldn't be driving anymore and the others would be, the heavy falling snowflakes would make a big dent in their plans and slow things down a bit. Driving the car into a small ditch near a cliff, Elizabeth quickly got out, and opened Ellie's door, unbuckling her seatbelt with steady hands, grabbing her daughter and their life-saving duffel bag, and closing the door.

Ellie was now wide awake and was looking at her mother with huge, alert, and questioning eyes as Elizabeth gently put her down on the ground to stand.

The car engine still humming, probably not for long considering how cold it was getting, Elizabeth looked at the car, and walked towards it, opening the driver's door again. She quickly outstretched her arm and swiftly pulled the shift from the P to the D to drive. And drive the car did, slowly picking up its pace as it slid down the icy way towards the cliff. Elizabeth stood back and picked up Ellie and the duffel bag, watching the car's back tires finally crossing the edge and soaring down to the dead trees below. Sure, the car would eventually be found, but by then, Elizabeth and Ellie would be long gone.

Without a second glance, Elizabeth ran into the forest, thankful for the camouflage it offered, so compacted and filled with snow and broken branches, it would be hard to find anyone here, much less a small woman of five foot two, and a child of two and half. This was the place where they would hide out for a couple days, maybe a week, but they were damn well prepared, so there should be nothing to worry about, Elizabeth told herself as her resolve began to slowly fade away and a faint tremor settled on her glove-covered hands.

Ellie's expression was no longer one of content, but was now one of fear and unfamiliarity. "Mommy? Where are we?" her voice first came out on a scared whisper, but then turned loud with fear. "I – I want to go home. I want to go home!" And with that admission, she burst into tears with a big heartbreaking wail that brought tears to Elizabeth's eyes.

Elizabeth closed her eyes and silently willed the tears to stop and the lump in her throat to disappear. She never wanted this; she never wanted to put her child in danger, to make her cry.

Not knowing how to comfort her child because there were no words to describe the situation they were in to a four-year old, the only thing that Elizabeth could do was soothingly rub her back and murmur meaningless but comforting words hoping her tears would stop and make her tired enough to sleep again. And soon enough, it did.

After an hour of trudging in the snow going two inches deep into the freezing snow with her black boots, Elizabeth figured they were good for now. Setting down the duffel bag, she adjusted Ellie on her hip and opened the small zipper, taking out a big, thick blanket. Finding a couple flat branches, Elizabeth laid the blanket on those so the whole blanket wouldn't get wet, and then proceeded to gently lay Ellie on the material.

Then she did the same for herself, leaning against the old bark of a tree when she was done.

The exhaustion slowly crept up to her, making her eyelids droop in fatigue. Elizabeth gladly closed her eyes and started to dream of Jason, of Ellie in his arms as he twirled her around in their garden as she squealed in delight telling him to stop though she loved the thrill of it anyway; Elizabeth was standing against the house watching them with a huge grin on her face, loving the sound of her daughter's laughter and the sound of

…A crack of a branch?

Elizabeth jolted out of her little make-shift bed and stood up, walking in a little small circle, viewing the area and trying to find where the noise was coming from. Her shoulders were so tense, they couldn't even relax when Elizabeth realized there was nothing there. She sighed and closed her eyes, heading back to her blanket. As she bent to sit down, she heard it again. The crack of a branch.

Could they have found her this early? _No,_ Elizabeth thought. _It can't be possible._ _Not this early._ And she really believed it. There was no way that they could have found her this soon.

So if _they_ weren't here then…someone else was in this forest.

A huge gust of wind suddenly blew and Elizabeth bowed her head so she wouldn't be hit with the icy cool breeze.

Suddenly, she got the goose bumps. Another branch cracked, this time louder, and it seemed closer to her than the others had. Her head still bent, she slowly lifted her eyes and what she saw made her eyes widen and her heart literally stop. The sparkling and palest blue eyes that she thought would never look at her again.

He licked his dry lips. "Elizabeth."


End file.
